Burlingame-Seward
Treaty-United States and China agreed to trade, travel, and
residence rights for each other's citizens; still prohibited
naturalization; additional articles to Sino-American treaty of
1858

Supreme Court ruled in Yick
Wo v. Hopkins that San Francisco city ordinance
prohibiting Chinese from laundry business was illegal

1887

Rock
Springs Massacre (1887)President Grover Cleveland asked
congress to allocate $150,000 to indemnify the Chinese. Congress
complied, but declared that its action should not be
construed as a precedent for future compensation.

1888

Scott
Act prohibited immigration of virtually all Chinese,
including those who had gone back to China to visit

1889

Chinese exclusion case (Chae Chan Ping v. United States) -
Supreme Court ruled that an entire race that the government
deemed difficult to assimilate might be barred from entry
regardless of prior treaty

1892

Geary Act
extended exclusion of Chinese laborers another ten years and
stripped most legal rights from Chinese immigrants; also required
certificates of residence for Chinese in the United States

1893

Fong Yue Ting v. United States - Supreme Court declared
Congress had the right to legislate expulsion through executive
orders; Chinese community had raised money to bring this before
the Court to test the Geary Act.

Congress amendedthe Geary Act to make it more difficult for
Chinese businessmen to enter this country

1894

Immigration officers authorized to ban the entry of certain
aliens, including Chinese

Gresham-Yang Treaty-China accepted total prohibition of
immigration to the United States in return for readmission of
those back in China on a visit; did away win Scott Act of 1888

1898

Congress excluded Chinese laborers from Hawaii; excluded Chinese
in Hawaii from coming to the United States

United States v. Wong Kim Art - Supreme Court rules person
born in the United States of Chinese parents is of American
nationality by birth

1889

Open door declared-United States advocated equal treatment within
territories and sphere of influence claimed by other powers in
china

1900

Organic Act provided government for territory of Hawaii; Chinese
required to apply for certificate of residence

United States v. Mrs. Cue Lim -Supreme Court ruled
wives and children of treaty merchants were entitled to come to
the United States [Back]

PERIOD III: ABSOLUTE EXCLUSION, 1904-1942

1902

Chinese exclusion extended for another 10 years

1904

All Chinese excluded from the United States, Washington, D.C., and
all U.S. territories

1910

Angel
Island open ; it served as a prison for hundreds of
Chinese immigrants.

1922

Cable Act revoked American citizenship of any woman citizen
marrying an alien ineligible for citizenship

1923

Chinese student immigration ended because of strict requirements
for having the funds necessary to return to China

1924

Immigration Act (Johnson-Reed Act) restricted all Asians from
coming into the United States

1925

Chang Chan et al. v. John D. Nagle - Supreme Court ruled
Chinese wives of American citizens not entitled to enter the
United States

Attorney General allowed 15,000 Chinese to enter as parolees due
to refugee situation in Hong Kong

1965

Immigration and Naturalization Act eliminated national origins
quotas; 20,000 people per country allowed in; priority to those
with skills and family in United States

National Defense Education Act made grant money available for
Chinese studies

1968

Bilingual Education Act

1972

President Richard M. Nixon traveled to China

1974

Supreme Court decided in Lau v. Nichols that San Francisco
unified school district was denying non-English-speaking Chinese
Americans a meaningful education; established legal basis for
bilingual education

1980

US Refugee Act

1981

Taiwan and Mainland China each allowed 20,000 immigrants

1986

Immigration Reform and Control Acts-Amnesty declared for certain
illegal aliens

1990

Immigration Act increased number of immigrants admitted because of
skill level [Back]

Immigration and Naturalization Act ended national origin as basis
for admission to United States

1973

Vietnam peace accord signed; last U.S. troops withdrawn from
Vietnam

1975

Parole authorized for Vietnamese dependents of U.S. citizens

Operation Frequent Wind-U.S. government evacuated U.S. and
Vietnamese people from Saigon

Refugee centers opened in United States in various forts
during April and May President Gerald Ford established
interagency Task Force (IATF) in April to coordinate federal
activity concerned with evacuation and resettlement of Vietnamese
refugees

Indochina Refugee Children Assistance Act extended educational
assistance for elementary and secondary education of refugee
children

1977

Public Law 956-135-Indochinese refugee allowed to become permanent
residents of United States (could apply for citizenship five
years after arrival)

Additional refugees granted parole by attorney general

Federal government supplemented state educational agency
budgets for reimbursement of local schools with refugee
children

Congress passed bill to phase down refugee assistance over
next four years, also provided adjustment of status from parole
to permanent resident alien

1980

Refugee Act

1989

Amerasian Homecoming Act

1990

Immigration Act

Congress passed legislation exempting Vietnamese in United
States who are not U.S. citizens from a law banning anyone but a
citizen from owning and piloting commercial fishing boats off the
California coast [Back]

Policies Affecting
Japanese Americans

1868-1900

CONTRACT LABOR PERIOD

1901-1940

INCREASING IMMIGRATION RESTRICTION

1941-1951

WORLD WAR II AND INTERMENT OF JAPANESE AMERICANS IN
CONCENTRATION CAMPS